Back to What I Was Before
by lavenderflow
Summary: 'The girl she knew was fierce and determined, happy and motivated. This, this was not Elle Woods. This was a shell of the girl.' In which on that night when Callahan advances on Elle, he decides to go farther until she breaks, which nearly ruins her law career, her relationships, and her. WARNING: Attempted rape. ElleEmmett and VivienneElle friendship.
1. Break Her

**A/N: I know there's a story called 'Ratty Corduroy to the Rescue' by TheatreNut16; and yes, the plot seems way too similar to be coincidence, but I actually did have the idea of 'what if Callahan tried to screw Elle?' pop up into my head one day. I was actually kind of excited to find out there was a fic that actually had this prompt at first, until I realized it wasn't finished. So, I decided to finish the story myself. From what I can tell, the plot for RCttR was Elle nearly gets screwed, then they sue her, and shit goes down with the Brooke Windham trial, blaaaah- And I thought, "Eh, might as well continue with that. Kinda."**

 **I digress from my actual intentions however. I plan to finish this and make it pretty long. Lots of Elle x Emmett and Vivienne and Elle BFF-ness. Anyways, let's roll-**

 **WARNING: Attempted Rape. Pretty graphic shit. This story is rated M for a reason, man.**

 **(-)**

"Ms. Woods, could I have a word?"

Elle turned around and straightened her skirt. "Of course." She turned back to look at Emmett. "I'll catch up with you in a second." Emmett nodded, and gave her a small grin. She smiled back.

She walked towards Callahan and rubbed her hands in giddy excitement. "Thank you, Professor Callahan, for what you said before. It means a lot."

Callahan crossed his arms. "Well, you deserved it. But don't tell the other law students I said so." He chuckled, his perfect lawyer teeth showing in friendliness rather than in hostility, unlike at her first day in class. "I do have a scary reputation to uphold." She laughed with him. _He's not so bad after all,_ she thought.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" She grinned with him to return the warmth. Callahan patted the spot on top of the table and beckoned her to sit. "Here," he called, propping himself on the desk. Elle smiled again.

"But I do really appreciate the opportunity to work with you," she said. "I have learned _so_ much."

He took off his glasses and tucked them under his arm. "What you've learned isn't the point. You've got instincts. And instincts, legal or otherwise, can't be taught." He leaned forward. Elle's heart leaped with pride and a sense of worth. "Trust your instincts."

Callahan lunged forward and grabbed Elle by the jaw. He crashed his lips against hers, rough and sex-driven. She pushed herself off of the table, trying to get away from him, anger and pain and betrayal rushing through her all at once, filling her senses and making her freeze. Immediately just after he stepped back, she slapped him as hard as she could. There was a ringing in her ears she couldn't control, and everything was foggy and muffled.

He chuckled grimly, and his appearance changed from a hard-shelled professor to something evil, more vile, something that could've come out of a fairy tale. A look of fear flashed in Elle's eyes, before Callahan took a step forwards in her direction. She backed away, unaware that she was cornering herself in the office.

"I thought," he growled, "you were smarter than _that_."

There was complete and utter silence as he stared her down, Elle feeling her heart break and shatter into a million pieces on the floor.

"Is this the only reason _why_ you gave me the internship?" she whimpered. Her back hit the wall, and he grabbed the lapels on her blazer and laughed. He stared into her eyes, standing straight and menacing. She felt like something was stuck in her throat and she wanted to gag it out, wanted to cry and scream and _kick,_ but she was too afraid. Her face felt filthy; she wanted to tear her face off, feeling like she was tainted and poisoned.

"It's been nice working with you, _Ms. Woods_ ," he chuckled. He leaned in close to her face, Elle feeling him breathe down her neck. "It's a shame you don't know what's good for you. We might've avoided this situation _altogether_."

His lips grazed down her neck, and he sunk his teeth into her skin, making Elle sob out in pain. He took his right hand from her shirt and covered her mouth, pressing hard enough to the point where she could feel her teeth digging into her lip and drawing blood. His other hand pressed down on her chest, pinning her between him and the wall, as she desperately tried to push away and claw at his arm. Callahan kept pressing kisses against her skin, biting and nipping at her neck, sucking bruises and hickeys into the flesh. She kept sobbing, " _Help me!_ ", but no one could hear her except him. He fiddled with the buttons on her blouse, as she tried to grab his hand from tearing off her shirt. He pressed his pelvis into her thighs to stop her from kicking, which only elicited more screams, though they were muffled through his palm.

 _What is happening what is happening what is happening whatishappening-_ is all she heard, panic filling her ears and eyes, forcing itself out of her mouth. Screaming, begging, whimpering- she didn't know what to do. Her head felt light but her body felt heavy, and she kept frantically looking around the room for _some sign_ that this wasn't real, _that she was just having a nightmare, that she was actually being praised for the skills she worked so hard to achieve and that all she had done was worth it-_

Callahan grew impatient and ripped the fabric of her blouse, popping off the buttons of her blazer through the process. The sudden force knocked down Elle and made her slide down onto the floor, making her vulnerable to Callahan's attack. He smirked, and crouched down to look at her, helpless and afraid. She was whimpering like a wounded animal, her arms blocking her face and chest. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled, tilting her head towards him. She was trying to scream, but only high pitched pleas came through, her voice hoarse and gravelly, her savior not arriving. He let go and grabbed her arms, his grip so strong blemishes began to form on her skin through the fabric. He placed his knee between her thighs and kissed her again just as she was about to cry for help.

Elle shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look at him. She wanted to pretend he didn't even exist. She wasn't even sure if she was thinking or _breathing_ for that matter, and yet she could feel everything and nothing at the same time. She tasted the blood in her mouth, but didn't choke. She felt bruises on her neck but she didn't wheeze. She felt herself exposed, the air around them warm and cold at the same time, but all everything felt like was as if someone blurred out the picture and made the outlines fuzzy, so that all the colors and voices mixed, and you couldn't tell which was which.

" _Please_ ," she begged, tears falling out of her eyes and down her cheeks. That too, she couldn't feel. " _I thought-"_

Callahan pinned her arms above her head with his left, and grabbed her face with his right. " _Keep begging_ ," he grinned, those lawyer teeth showing again, but this time they looked sharp, like an animal. _Like a shark._ "It adds to the dumb blonde look." He grabbed her throat, choking her and subduing her words. She tried scratching at his hands once more, but gave up when she couldn't breathe.

A sob broke out of her, wet and sad. His hand pressed sharply against her forearms, sharp jolts of pain shooting through her body, but she felt nothing; only numbness. She tried once more, screaming a feeble ' _help me_ ', but her voice was too weak, only a whisper coming out. Callahan fumbled around, looking for the zipper on her skirt, pulling the tag down when he felt the cold metal. He shrugged it down to her calves before ripping it, finally falling off of her legs. _Exposed_. He forcefully spread her legs open, a leg pinning one side down while his free hand was trying to push her other leg apart.

" _You're not the first, you know_ ," he growled. " _But you are going to be one of the prettiest._ "

Just as he was about to put his fingers on her thighs, the office door burst open, Vivienne and Warner shocked into anger. Warner immediately lunged for Callahan, grabbing his shoulders and tearing him off of Elle. Vivienne went for Elle, kneeling next to her as Warner wrestled Callahan to the ground.

"Elle-! Oh my god…," Vivienne whispered. Elle's arms dropped to her sides as she gasped for air, looking slump and near death. She opened her eyes and Vivienne was hit with her look of _dejectedness_. Elle looked to stare at Callahan.

"Get your hands off _her!_ " Warner roared, pulling Callahan towards him. The older man grunted as he tried to punch him. He dodged, and pushed Callahan against a bookcase, throwing dirty punches into his jaw and kicking him. By the time Warner had stopped, his knuckles were bloody, and Callahan had been knocked out, limp and unconscious, fallen on the floor. He stood up and gave a final kick into the professor's thigh, forcing out a grumble of pain from Callahan.

" _Vivienne_ ," Elle croaked, before she launched herself into her arms. She sobbed while her chest shook with pain. Vivienne clutched the blonde tightly as Warner stared at the scene. "I'm calling Emmett," he stated, before leaving the room to give the girls some space.

" _Elle_ ," Vivienne hushed. "It's okay, Warner's calling Emmett. Shh…" She ran her hands up and down her back while she sobbed.

"It's- _hic-_ not okay!" she feebly wailed. "Calla- _hic-_ han, he-"

"Stop. You can tell me later when everyone gets here."

Elle cried even harder. Warner came back into the room, his tie loosened and his hair ruffled from the fight. There was a tear in the arm sleeve of his blazer jacket. He sighed.

"God, and I _trusted_ that jerk!" he gritted. "Fuckin' asshole." He cleared his throat. "Emmett is on his way. He's at Elle's dorm."

Vivienne looked at him. "Give me your jacket. She's barely got anything _on_." Her voice broke off. Warner took off the jacket with no hesitation, and draped it over Elle's shoulders. She was still crying.

" _Viv,_ " Elle repeated, her words gritty and hoarse like sandpaper. Vivienne cringed inwardly, looking at her in pain. _Oh god, Elle. Oh god._

" _Elle_ ," she said, her voice firm. " _Elle,_ Warner knocked Callahan out, he's not gonna hurt you now _._ "

Elle looked broken and angry, but what really scared Vivienne was how _weak_ she looked. The girl she knew was fierce and determined, happy and motivated. This, _this_ was not Elle Woods. This was a shell of the girl.

"Guys? Where's Elle-" Emmett burst into the office, out of breath and sweaty, his eyes landing on Elle. She looked up from Vivienne's chest with red watery eyes.

"Oh my _god_ ," Emmett breathed, similar to Vivienne's reaction. He then saw Callahan's limp body nearby. " _Elle?_ "

He crouched down next to her, Vivienne letting go to let him hold her. He shakily held her arms and stared at her face. Smudged makeup, smeared lipstick, a bruise under her jaw, and a purple blush forming on her neck. Bite marks dug into her skin. Bruises on her thighs. _Oh god._

Elle didn't look up to see his face, but stared down into her lap. She didn't want him to see her like this; _not this way_. She was still crying.

Emmett pushed her into his chest, engulfing her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist. He kissed her forehead and firmly clutched her. " _Oh god, Elle, are you okay? Oh fuck-"_

Another sad sob was squeezed out of her. He kissed her again, cradling her head. He pressed his lips into the crown of her hair, repeatedly kissing her hairline. " _Elle, hey, hey sweetheart, I'm here, you're safe, you're safe, I-I'm here, I'm not gonna let anyone touch you-"_

Emmett looked towards Vivienne. He looked afraid. "Don't tell me Callahan-" he uttered, but Vivienne stopped him.

"Warner pulled him off of her just before he was about to."

She observed Emmett, and her heart broke for him. He was running his hands through her hair, whispering comforting words against her skin. _He's in love with her. Why did it have to go like this?_

Vivienne stood up and looked away, staring at Callahan. " _Bastard,"_ she whispered. She looked back to Elle. "We should take you to a hospital," Vivienne said. "Leave Callahan here." Warner nodded in agreement. Elle sniffled into Emmett's chest, breathing in his smell. He kissed the top of her head.

" _Wanna go to the hospital?_ " Emmett whispered into her ear. Elle shook her head. She couldn't bear the thought of nurses and doctors staring at her right now. He frowned. "Please, Elle. For me. Just a check-up to make sure you didn't break anything." After a moment, she nodded begrudgingly. He helped her as she got up on her feet and tied Warner's jacket around her waist. He placed his arm around her shoulders, gesturing to the other two with a nod of his head.

Vivienne and Warner left to retrieve his car, while Emmett stayed behind. Elle crossed her arms across her chest, trying to retain what little decency Callahan left her with. Emmett saw this, and shrugged off his blazer and put it over her shoulders. She pulled it around her body tightly.

" _I'm so sorry you have to see me like this,_ " she said, wiping her tears away with her fingers. He gently placed a hand on her face and wiped them away with his thumb.

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault." He swallowed, and sighed. "Dammit, it's _my_ fault, if I had just _stayed_ -"

She hugged him again. "You've already done so much," she mumbled into his shirt. "I don't know if you could do any more."

Vivienne cracked open the door and told them Warner was outside with his car. Just before they left, he grabbed the torn skirt from the floor, knowing it would be useful evidence later. He placed his hand on her back and guided her out of the building, trying to leave as fast as they could and getting away from the wretched place. Elle exhaled a long held breath after finally sliding into the backseat with Emmett. Vivienne sat in the passenger seat next to Warner.

"You okay?" Warner asked, looking into the rear view mirror. "I mean, as okay as you can be right now." Elle nodded, and clutched at Emmett even tighter.

The car ride was quiet, only Elle's sniffles and occasional shaky breaths broke through the Top 40 Hits radio station that Warner had on, though Vivienne finally did turn it off halfway through the ride. Emmett drew soothing circles in her back, fingers tangling with her messy blonde hair dropping down her shoulders. Vivienne texted Enid about what happened, with Enid replying with questions about Elle's wellbeing, and general worry and shock. She looked back and felt her stomach drop again at the sight of her usually happy friend looking so broken.

"Callahan hit on me," Elle blurted. Emmett stiffened. Vivienne swore she felt Warner almost hit the brakes.

"He _what_?" both men said. " _Can't believe the asshole,_ " Warner grumbled as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Emmett just stared at her.

"H-he kissed me," she continued, "then he backed me up a wall and grabbed me, and- and he-"

Tears silently ran down her cheeks and pooled at the bottom of her jaw. "He said there were others. He said it wasn't his first time, but I was going to be one of the prettiest." She stopped herself from going back into hysterics, taking slow breaths. "That was before you guys came and stopped him," she said to Vivienne. The brunette sadly smiled, thankful that they got there in time.

"We saw him through the window just as Warner was bringing back his coffee," Vivienne said. "Thank god Warner tackled him and beat the living shit out of him." Elle meekly laughed, but her smile dropped almost immediately.

" _Others,_ " she whispered. She looked up to Emmett. " _God, how many are there?_ "

He ground his teeth together. "He probably made it up," he lied. "We'll fix it, we'll fight it."

She looked at him pitifully. "I wish I could believe you."

Emmett stroked her hair and rested his lips on her temple. She stopped crying, but her chest still leapt every once in a while. He looked at the state of her and felt something inside of him want to throw up. _She deserves better. She deserves so much better._ He repeated it in his mind, like pledge for vengeance. His grip tightened around her, determined not to let her go. _She deserves better. She deserves so much better_.

They stopped in front of the nearby hospital. Emmett walked Elle up to the ER entrance while Vivienne sat in the car with Warner. She sighed.

"I'll stay here with them," Vivienne said. "Emmett's gonna need some support. It's affecting him almost as much as it's affecting Elle."

Warner sat there for a moment, then said, "Fine. Call me when you're ready to be picked up. Emmett and Elle too."

She left the car and ran to catch up with the two. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Comfort Her

**A/N: I have no experience with the experience of being raped, or getting checked up. I tried my best to search it up online, but there will be some inaccuracies. As an author, I do try to make it as accurate as I possibly can.**

 **(-)**

Elle hated herself.

For falling for Callahan's trap. For believing she was actually becoming someone who wasn't just blonde hair and good looks. For staying behind and talking to him in the first place. _She hated herself._

"When was your last menstrual cycle?" the nurse asked, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at her with a look of kindness. Elle wanted to laugh. She was acting like nothing happened.

"Fourteen days ago," she replied. Emmett stood next to her while she sat on the elevated padded chair, squeezing her hand and giving her an assured smile. Vivienne was outside the room, sitting in a waiting chair. She didn't want to overcrowd the room, and besides, she knew that Emmett would be a bigger comfort to her than the woman who stole her ex.

Warner didn't call 911 after beating up Callahan as he knew she didn't want an ambulance driving her to a hospital and attracting anyone who would be in the building working late. It didn't even cross Vivienne's mind until she started texting Enid, when she asked if they called the police. Emmett didn't even notice; his priority was comforting his best friend.

The nurse scribbled on her clipboard. "Are you on any birth control or contraceptives?"

"Yeah. Th-the pill," she stuttered. She felt Emmett stroke his thumb on the back of her hand- the same thumb that wiped away her tears earlier. "Just the pill. No implants."

The nurse checked off a box on the paper. Elle sighed, and kicked her legs up while she held up the ice pack to her neck and jaw. Emmett held one as well, alternating between icing each arm and her chest. The ice packs were helping to numb the pain that was going through her forearms, although she guessed it was just bruising. "Have you had any recent sexual partners, and if so how many?" the nurse said.

"None in the last seven months."

"Do you have a current partner?"

"No."

The nurse scribbled some more on the paper. "Now," she began, "we're going to have to ask you about what happened. This _can_ be uncomfortable, so you need to tell me if you want to stop." She pulled a chair from the side of the room and sat down, looking into her eyes. "It's alright, you can tell me _everything_."

Elle felt her toes curl. _Everything_. She took a deep breath. "I'm a law student at Harvard. I was hired as an intern by Professor Callahan with a few other people to help with this big murder trial, and I just got a guy to confess to a fake alibi today." She smiled at the memory. "We were celebrating in his office.

"Just as we were leaving, he asked me to hang around a bit longer. We were talking about how promising of a law career I had, and how good my future looked, and then-"

Her voice hitched and caught in her throat. She swallowed. _No. you'll go through this. There are others. Think of them._ "He grabbed my mouth and kissed me." The words came out too weak for Elle's liking, but she pushed on, clearing her throat and gathering herself. "I pushed him off and slapped him across his stupid face, a-and-"

She felt like she was going to puke. _Breathe. In, out._ "He was coming towards me, and so I started stepping away, but then I felt something hit my back, and he grabbed me-"

Her voice cracked on the last word, and a choked sob came out. The room was quiet. The nurse still listened. " _You can stop if you want_ ," Emmett reminded her, but she shook her head stubbornly.

" _No,_ " she gritted. She sat straight up again, looking the nurse in the eye, trying to keep a brave façade. Emmett looked at her worryingly, letting go of her hand to rub her back.

"He covered my mouth and shoved me against the wall. He bit my neck like some sick jerk and ripped my shirt off." The nurse looked at the two oversized jackets that were covering her and nodded understandingly. "Then he started choking me, and pulled my skirt down and told me that he-"

 _It adds to the dumb blonde look._ She shook off Callahan's voice from her mind, and shoved him back into the darkest crevice of her brain.

She leaned into Emmett's touch, and he stopped icing her arms to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "There were others he had done it to," she finished. "Then Vivienne and Warner- a couple of the other interns- came into the office and tackled him. Vivienne hugged me while Warner knocked Callahan down. I forgot to say thank you to them."

She looked at Emmett, gratitude in her eyes. "They called Emmett, and he ran all the way from my dorm. They drove me here. I didn't want an ambulance because of the murder trial, and it might've looked suspicious if our client's lawyer was found knocked out like that anyways."

"And why did they call him?" the nurse asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Emmett cleared his throat.

"Oh, I work- _worked,_ " he corrected, glancing at Elle, "for Professor Callahan's law firm. I was also his TA and right hand man during the case."

The nurse eyed his hand on her back but said nothing. She wrote something down onto the clipboard and looked at the checklist.

"Well," she sighed, "we _will_ have to do a few x-rays on you just to see if you have any small fractures you might not be noticing, and a full body examination. It's part of the protocol. We probably also need your clothes as evidence against the offender if you want to press charges against him. You don't have to of course, but I _highly_ suggest you do so. You can ask someone to bring a change of clothes if you prefer. We may also ask to take photos of your injuries as well; if you do bring this to court, your injuries may heal and photographic proof can be very useful."

Elle nodded along, already knowing this from her nights of study sessions with Emmett. "I have the skirt he tore off," she said, looking back Emmett. The nurse smiled.

"Now, if you may come with me…"

(-)

Callahan woke up with the worst headache ever since his days of drinking on an empty stomach. He felt like shit.

 _W..what the hell? Where the hell am I?_

Callahan sat up, bumping his head on the bookshelf behind him and groaning in agony. _The bookcase._

He opened his eyes wider and realized he was still in office, lying on the floor, books scattered around him in sad piles. He shakily stood up and assessed the damage.

 _That little bitch,_ he ground his teeth, looking at the spot where he left the blonde woman. All that remained was some scuff spots on the wall where she slid down into a weak heap, and a few marks on the floor where Warner had dragged him.

" _That fucking slut_ ," he spat, fighting the ache in his jaw. He rubbed his mouth, and felt a wet spot on his chin. He looked at his fingers and saw the stain of blood.

He exhaled sharply and dusted off his suit, standing up straight as possible. He readjusted his tie and finger combed through his hair, trying to look as normal as possible without seeming suspicious. He snatched the briefcase from the table, and grabbed his jacket. As he walked out, he glanced at a broken coffee mug nearby the entrance, spilling across the marble tiles. He thought little of it, however.

He left the building and got into a fancy silver Mercedes Benz. He looked at his watch in the moonlight. _12:47._

He started the car up and immediately started driving off the lot. He needed to go home and clean himself up.

(-)

Emmett took the bus to Elle's dorm to pick up the spare change of clothes she requested. She had given her the dorm key from her blazer pocket, relieved that they didn't fall out of her pocket during 'what happened' (Elle refused to call it 'attempted sexual assault', unlike when they studied cases together and debated). He smiled sadly at the door and unlocked it.

He walked passed the curtains that hung in the archway to the closet and stared. He hadn't really been here before, only seen Elle go in and out to change into something more comfortable for studying or to retrieve an item she tucked away in storage. To him, it was like a gateway to Narnia.

 _So. Much. Pink._

There was the entrance to the bathroom and the doors to the closet. In the bathroom, there was makeup neatly lined up on the side, and a bright pink makeup bag that was open, revealing Baribie-esque brushes. He chuckled to himself, but a heaviness was still in his chest. The color scheme was so bright and happy, a reflection to Elle's personality. He recalled seeing her in that exam room, slouched forward with dark circles under her eyes and mascara running down her cheeks. Right then, the color that fit her perfectly was a murky grey-brown.

He opened the closet, and looked around nervously, not knowing where to look first. There was her suitcase, some boxes with older, worn clothes and scarves, and shelves lined with shoes and small boxes of accessories. But he stared only at the velvet hangers with different shirt and blouses, with sweaters and jackets hanging off of them. Particularly, the one singular hanger with an out-of-place blue hoodie, the one he gave her that night on the bench. It was next to the shirts and not to her other jackets and suits.

He grabbed the soft material and yanked, pulling it off the hanger. Without thinking, he shoved it into his face and inhaled deeply, fighting the rock in his stomach. He was going to tell her, _dammit_ , he was going to tell her, and she would've said yes, and _she was going to know that he was in love with her and she'd always be safe with him-_

The jacket smelled like Elle. Not of her sweet, rose water and jasmine petal perfume that she always wore to class and Emmett loved because _it was so Elle_ , but of her soap and shampoo-and-conditioner in one he gave her and the expensive body scrubs that she probably kept in the shower. He could tell because she had stayed over one night and that same exact smell filled his apartment hallway as she hummed some cheesy love song in the shower, him laughing when she came back out dressed in pajamas because she took so long. _"I always use the same brands and the same routine, Emmett. I can't risk a breakout because my skin is introduced to a new chemical in one of your soaps, or if I forgot to exfoliate my skin." "What about the bottle of shampoo I gave you for Christmas?" "I searched it up after you gave it to me. It's produced by a company that makes vegan and all-natural hair products." "Well that's good to know."_

He screamed into the jacket, releasing some of his frustration. When he brought his head back up again, his face was red and warm. He clenched the jacket tightly in his hands.

 _Clothes. Elle. Remember what you're here for. Stop pitying yourself. She needs your help._

 _She deserves better. She deserves so much better._ The mantra played in his head again.

He looked at the shirts lined up in the closet, and decided to pick a loose but thick sweater sleeve she usually only reserved for sleeping in during winter. He pulled out the comfiest looking pants he could find, settling on a pair of grey sweatpants that still somehow seemed fashionable. He grabbed a pair of pink fuzzy socks just in case, and a pair of running sneakers tucked in the back, the one pair of shoes that didn't have a heel. Emmett lied all the clothing on his arm like a butler while holding the shoes with his hooked fingers.

Emmett glanced at the smaller drawer which most likely contained her undergarments and swallowed his pride. _Will she care if I dig in there? I don't want to invade her privacy; she's already been violated enough._ He quickly opened the first drawer and grabbed the top bra. He barely even slid the lower one open, just opening it a small crack just big enough to fit his fingers inside and grab some underwear. He sighed when he saw what he picked. They were pale pink boy shorts and a simple white bra. He closed the closet.

He walked passed the bathroom, and saw the blue bottle of shampoo he gave her, next to a container of green sugar scrub. The same smell he was reminded of came from the shower.

(-)

Vivienne was stroking her back comfortingly.

After Emmett went to get her stuff, Elle wanted Vivienne to stay with her for moral support. She gladly agreed, wanting to make sure nothing happened during the exam, but mostly just wanted to make sure Elle was okay. Through the past few days of the Windham murder trial, she had grown to like her, realizing that she was actually a lot brighter than she had seemed before when she first arrived to Harvard.

They were waiting for Emmet for quite a while now, making her stay at the hospital already a few hours long. Elle had already gotten x-rayed, revealing some hairline fractures against her right arm. She had a splint already fastened to it, and Elle didn't want to say it out loud, but she hated the color and how much it itched. The dark navy blue was quite sad and boring in her opinion.

"Thank you," Elle mumbled, hands folded in her lap and looking downwards. "You don't have to stay."

Vivienne frowned. "And yet, here I am, staying." Elle smiled just a little, but even so, she kept curling her toes and fidgeting with her fingers, still tense and shaken.

"I wish I could say the same about me," she said. Vivienne furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"After this, after it's all over, I've decided that I'm gonna leave to California."

Vivienne frowned, shocked and hurt in a way. "Wait, what? _Why?_ "

Elle closed her eyes. "Callahan only hired me because he thought I was eye candy. He made it _very_ clear I don't belong. There's no reason for me to stay."

"What about suing Callahan for what he-"

"I'm not going to bring up charges." Her body turned away from her. "I just- I just want _all of this_ to be over as soon as possible." Her voice was caught in her throat, and she sounded like she was on the verge of crying. "I'm not even that good of a lawyer. All I have is 'some finely tuned gaydar' and a pretty face."

Vivienne bit the inside of her cheek. She leaned to look at her face. There were tears slipping out of her eyes, falling out like a leaky faucet.

"Elle." She demanded Elle to look at her. Elle only slightly tilted her head in her direction. "You _belong_ here. You are an _amazing_ law student, and you're going to be an even better lawyer in the future. Yes, you have a great gaydar and a pretty face, but you also managed to catch up to Warner's progress in law school even though you majored in _fashion merchandising_. You've got smarts, and you're choosing not to use them."

Vivienne's voice softened to a near whisper. "And you _do_ have a reason to stay. Us. Your friends. Your future."

"I have _no_ future," she hissed, so unlike herself. Her voice cracked with every word. "I'm just a _dumb blonde_."

"You are _not_. You are an amazing person, Elle, you just don't see it because all you see is what others perceive of you. When you realized Warner and I were together, you could've humiliated me or talked crap behind my back, but instead you worked hard to impress him enough to come back. I don't know if I would do the same if I were in your position. _Hell,_ I _know_ I wouldn't act like you."

Elle looked up to her face. She wanted to see Vivienne with a hint of fake enthusiasm or maybe even the slightest accent of sarcasm, but there was none. She was being genuine, from-the-heart kind.

"And," Vivienne continued, "what about love? If you leave, you're gonna break a few hearts. There _are_ people who love you."

"Like who?"

If the situation wasn't so serious, she might've found her question hilarious. "Emmett." Although her answer was simple, Elle still scrunched up her nose as if they were little kids and were teasing each other about their crushes.

"He's just my friend."

"You're _kidding_." Vivienne sighed. "Did you notice how much he reacted when he _saw_ you on the floor like that? Did you notice him _kissing you on your forehead_?"

Elle scoffed. "No, I was too busy noticing how my _professor_ tried to _fuck me_ while I was crying my head out and begging him _not_ to."

The words came out too harsh and made Vivienne cringe. There was a long awkward silence. "Elle, I didn't mean-"

"You were _always_ so logical about _every_ detail," she frowned. "But you don't know what kind of _hell_ I'm feeling. I thought Warner dumping me hurt before, but _this feels like I shouldn't even be here._ I couldn't care about Warner any less right now, but my _law career?_ I thought I had _something_ , but I was just being used, like what Warner did. I'm just _Legally Blonde_ , aren't I?"

Vivienne reached out to touch Elle's hand but she pulled away in grief. "Oh, _now you become my best friend?_ You know, you never did see passed my hair either, until I outted Nikos on the stand. Emmett was my only friend on the team." Tears welled up in her eyes again.

She had seen many emotions in Elle before; kindness, warmth, envy, pride, and pure ecstatic joy. But never had she seen this much anger and bitterness in her life. She swallowed, and breathed.

"I don't understand what you're going through," she admitted. "I may _never_ understand what you're going through. I haven't been hit on by someone as ruthless as Callahan, but I've seen it before, and I've _seen_ how much stuff like this can wreck a life. But I've also seen how much someone can heal from it. You may not want to heal for a very long time, but I know you, and you're _too_ determined to not heal." She looked to Elle and smiled. "You're _Elle Woods._ You defied stereotypes and showed us who you really are."

There was a pleading tone in her voice. "You're letting your anger finally take over. Please, _fight it_. I don't want it to consume you."

Elle sat quietly, still waiting for Emmett to arrive with her clothes. The only sound filling the room was the faint buzzing from the lights above. She bit her lip. "You said you saw it before," she broke the silence. "What do you mean?"

Vivienne sighed. "In high school, there was a girl like you in my high school. Pretty, happy, got all the guys." She looked to her side, as if she was avoiding looking at something. "Her boyfriend took her virginity sophomore year in the back of a car. A few weeks later, she was pregnant. Dropped out of school to take care of her family and to nurse her pregnancy. She said she wanted to be an actor anyways, but I knew how much it hurt her. She wanted to be a nurse.

"But she didn't actually want to have sex with him. She was actually planning to break up with him that night, but he just forced her and- I don't know, but she always said it was nothing, when really, she was just covering it up that she was forced because she didn't want to seem, and I quote, ' _like a slut who likes it hard_ '. Didn't want to tell her parents until she missed a period and realized she was impregnated by him."

She looked distant and sad. "In the end, the baby was born prematurely because of how young she was, and it didn't make it. _God_ , she hated the father but she loved the child." Her voice faded. "She stopped being happy after that, until we graduated. She found her fiancé and they were making plans to move to Ohio and start a family."

Elle looked at Vivienne in confusion. "She got married at eighteen?"

The other woman nodded. "They're happily married today and have a kid."

"Wait," she said, placing a hand on her arm. "How do you know that?"

Vivienne laughed. "She used to be my best friend. We haven't seen each other in a while, not since I started going to Harvard, but she was amazing. Enthusiastic about life. Always tried to see the upside of everything." She paused, and smiled. "She's like you."

"Your best friend is like _me?_ " she frowned, her words barely louder than a whisper. "Then why did you hate me so much…?"

"Because, I was judging you." The answer was brutally honest. "I admit, I didn't see anything but your blonde hair and your pink sequined outfit at first. I was being really ignorant, and quite honestly, a _jerk_. I don't say I'm wrong a lot, but when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. And I was wrong about you."

Elle gave a soft smile, but returned to her depressed state. "I should _go_ ," she whispered.

"No. Stay. Besides, you're one of the few of us who actually have a sense of fashion. You _do_ have the best _frickin'_ shoes."

"You… You think so?"

"I know so. _Stay_."

She still looked unsure of herself, suspicious of Vivienne, but she fell silent anyways. The brunette held her hand.

"You're going to be fine," she said confidently. Elle smiled.


	3. Promise Her

**I'm gonna take a little creative licensing and say that DAY 3 of the Windham case was on a Friday or somethin', I mean, as much as I love Elle, I don't seriously think she could pack up all her bags in the span of a night and manage to leave for California the morning after. Plus, for the Delta Nu girls and for her parents to arrive in that exact morning too (in a golf cart?) is much too elaborate for 6-8 hours of planning IMO. But meh, who knows, it's a musical.**

 **(-)**

Emmett returned to the hospital, relieved to see Elle perfectly fine, and appearing as if nothing had changed. Vivienne was holding her hand as she turned to look at him entering the room. She smiled comfortingly. Elle glanced upwards from her silent glaze into her lap.

"Got your clothes," he announced, lifting up his arm to showcase them. "I tried getting the comfiest looking stuff from your closet."

Elle shook her head in understanding. "Thank you," she mumbled. Vivienne looked at the couple. There was an awkward pause, them not used to seeing Elle so quiet and unenthused. It felt depressing in a way. _Seeing the most optimistic person in Callahan's class so sad and angry._

"They did a full exam," Vivienne mentioned. "Hairline fracture in her right arm. Callahan was _that_ rough." Emmett scowled. "They also took a few samples- a mouth swab, some skin under her fingernails, and a check-up for any concussions. Thankfully none."

"I hope he gets mugged on the way home," he grumbled. Vivienne was shocked for a moment at the harshness of his reply and grimaced at his response.

"So I'll give you two a moment, then," she stated, before backing away and exiting the exam room door. Emmett stared at the door while Elle grabbed the clothes off his hands. He gave her the keys that were grasped in his hands as well.

"You didn't have to stay with me through the night, you know," she stated, unfolding the sweater. "You could've just left after you got me to the hospital. Vivienne was with me."

"No," he refused. He turned his back to give her some privacy while she changed. "I'm not gonna let tough this one out by yourself. Look, as much as you don't wanna admit it, you're gonna need people to help you _through this._ "

Elle slid off the blazer and button down, taking the bra from the pile. Emmett stood there, barely even breathing, as the silence in the room went on. Elle's small grunts of effort and the rustling of clothing was the loudest sound in the room, and even that barely echoed off the walls. He dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands.

" _Emmett_ ," she whispered, breaking the silence, " _I don't think I can go back to my dorm._ "

She forced a sock on her foot much too forcedly to be considered just a struggle. " _It's too close to Callahan_ ," she said, her voice gritty and weak. " _He'll come and find me._ "

Emmett turned around to look at her. She slid the other sock on and started to put her feet into her running shoes. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. After a moment, he thought of an alternative.

"You can stay with me," he said. He straightened up and set his jaw in determination. "He's not gonna touch you at my place; the door has to be buzzed to be entered. You'll be safe there."

She looked up, eyes watery and soft. "Really?"

He nodded, smiling. "I swear on my life- he'll have to get through me before he gets to you."

She let out a breath and her shoulders lowered from its tense state. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. I will do _anything_ to not let him touch you after tonight." _And I need to be there with you. I need you, Elle._

Elle smiled, and tightened the laces on her sneakers. She looked back at the last remaining article of clothing and furrowed her brows.

"You brought your sweatshirt?" she asked, holding up the jacket. He stopped.

"Oh, ah, uh-" he stammered. He forgot he even pulled it off the rack in the first place.

"It's okay, you can have it back," she sighed, extending it towards him. He frowned. She seemed sad about having to surrender it.

"You can keep it if you want," he suggested. "I got a new jacket anyways." Okay, _maybe_ he was lying about that last part. He just wanted to give her the sweatshirt, though he didn't really understand why.

She looked up. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

She hugged the jacket close to her chest. A nurse came in with a clipboard. "Are you ready, Miss Woods?" she asked. Elle nodded.

(-)

It was around two o'clock in the morning when Elle finally left. They bagged up her clothes to be stored as evidence, then they finally discharged her. Vivienne was calling Warner on her cell as they waited outside the hospital.

"Yes, at two in the morning… No, Warner- You drove me to the trial, you dumb- okay, yes. Thank you."

She pressed a button on her phone a bit too forcedly and flipped it shut. "He's coming to pick us up; you'll be at Emmett's soon."

Elle nodded at her. "I'm sorry that we had to wake Warner up-"

" _Warner?_ Please," Vivienne waved. "Warner was being an ass when he was bringing back Callahan's coffee. When he saw you get kissed he assumed you were only an intern because you were sleeping with him."

Elle swallowed and picked at her brace. " _Of course he did,_ " she mumbled. Vivienne felt sorry for the blonde and immediately regretted her word choice.

"Elle," she said soothingly, stepping towards her. "You know Warner's an ass. You shouldn't believe a word he says." She looked at her in understanding. "I'm here for you, and that's what really counts right now."

After a beat, Elle bit her lip. "Vivenne," she asked, "Bruiser's still at my room."

"Do you want me to watch him while you're away?" Vivienne asked, raising her eyebrows. Elle nodded.

"I hate leaving Bruiser alone for the night, but I don't think it's safe right now to go back to the dorm. I… I just… I just don't want him to think that I abandoned him. He's probably worried enough about me."

Her voice was small but caring. She pulled out her keys from her pocket and held them out. "Just a small favor, please? I promise to pay you back or-"

"No need," She interrupted. She grabbed the keys and held them firmly in her hand. "I should be owing you for misjudging you in the first place." She smiled, and looked back at the street nearby to see if Warner's car was coming anytime soon.

Elle had placed Emmett's sweatshirt over her shoulders, as it couldn't fit over her sweater, so she pulled it tightly against her body to help against the cold evening. Emmett and Warner's jackets were put in the evidence bags, so Emmett was left pacing around the outside of the hospital to get his temperature up. Elle had offered the jacket back to him again, but he kept stubbornly refusing. The person most tolerable to the weather was Vivienne, but that was because she was the only person with a proper fitting jacket, and even that was just a bit too thin for the elements. The two girls shivered while Emmett kept walking in circles.

Finally, Warner pulled up from the curb. He was in an undershirt and a pair of wrinkled khakis that were hastily put on seeing as there was an old leather belt hanging off of it, which was barely fastened. His hair was tangled on one side of his head and if Elle squinted hard enough, there was a faint dry white line coming from the corner of his mouth. She almost forgot he drooled while he slept.

Vivienne went into the passenger's side while Emmett opened the backseat for Elle. Warner grumbled something to Vivienne under his breath and she slapped him arm, scowling.

The ride to Emmett's place was almost identical to the ride to the hospital. It was quiet, the radio playing in the background, Vivienne staring in front of her not paying attention to Warner as Emmett kept watch on Elle, making sure nothing happened even though there was barely anything she could try. The roads outside looked like black pits going out into the abyss, which for the first time since she was thirteen, scared the hell out of Elle. She felt like anything could crawl out of the dark and drag her away. Emmett placed an assuring hand on her shoulder, but it backfired when she flinched and tensed up. He almost felt hurt about the reaction, but understood the reasoning and pulled his hand away. She relaxed.

Warner drove up to Emmett's apartment building, and he waved a goodbye to him and Vivienne as they exited the car. "I'll call you in the morning," Vivienne said to Emmett through the driver's side window. Warner seemed uncomfortable with the cold entering his car after he had the heater turned up through the ride. "To check up on Elle." Emmett nodded, and saluted a goodbye. Soon the car drove off.

Elle looked up to the building and already could sense Emmett's style in the apartment complexes above. The outside was red exposed bricks, with grey trim running across the window ledges. The fire escape stairwell was old and worn, but still charming in a weird way. If she would've tried to place it in a category, it would've been modern classy urban chic. Or something like that.

He pulled out a pair of keys and opened the heavy steel doors to the lobby of the complex. He walked to the elevator and pressed a '4' on the pad. Soon, the elevator carriage arrived and they stepped in.

The halls were wide and long, and judging by the bright lightbulbs and barely scuffed carpet, was newly renovated. Elle looked around on the walls, which were coated with fresh white paint and made the place seem more like a fancy five-star hotel. There were random plants in the corners nearby other residents' doors with their own different welcome mats. One welcome mat was very boring and a horrible dirt brown with no plants, while another was red and had a fancy 'welcome!' written on it with embellishments surrounding it, tall leafy plants on either side of the door. There was something about the décor for each of the other apartments that told their own stories and tales, and what kind of person each tenant was.

"Did they have a renovation?" Elle asked, seeing how different it looked compared to the last time she stayed over. He responded with an assured 'mhm'.

Emmett's mat was cheap, but was more functional than decorative. There was a small single potted plant in the corner, though. His front door looked pristine and clean, like it could be on an Ikea display. Actually, she was pretty sure Emmett _did_ buy the mat and the plant at Ikea.

He opened the door and flipped on the lights. "C'mon," he said, gesturing for her to enter with a jerk of his head.

She stepped into the apartment first, Emmett closing the door behind him. The room was warm and cozy, allowing Elle to finally shrug off the sweatshirt from her shoulders. Emmett took off his shoes and placed them aside the door. Elle followed.

"I can sleep on the couch if you want," he said. "You can take my bed." She shook her head and sat down onto the couch, slinging the jacket across the armrest.

"No, it's fine. You've done so much for me already." As she sunk into the old orange cushions, her eyes already started to weigh her down, and she felt herself already struggling to stay awake. She stifled a yawn and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

"Well, if you need me, I'll be in my bedroom," he said. He went to grab a spare blanket from storage. When he came back, she already fell asleep, her head laying on the armrest over the jacket and her feet tucked under her. He smiled, and put the blanket over her.

"Good night, Woods," he murmured, as he slipped away to go brush his teeth.

(-)

 _It adds to the dumb blonde look. You're not the first, you know. But you are going to be one of the prettiest._

Elle jerked herself awake, tear trails coming from the corners of her eyes and sweat lining her forehead, making her thighs feel sticky, chilling her arms down. All she could feel was like somehow she was _tainted_ , or filthy, or impure, or _something_ that made her want to throw up and scrub the dirt off her skin until everything was gone and she was finally clean. There was also a crawling sensation up her back, like spiders were walking against her skin and Callahan's fingers were grazing her back, waiting for the chance to strike again. She shivered.

The blanket that Emmett had lent her was on the floor, and she had resorted to tucking her arms around herself against the cool night. Instead of picking it up, she stood and tiptoed towards Emmett's bedroom.

She knocked lightly on the door, pushing it slightly open. She knocked louder to wake Emmett up.

A shuffling came from the bed, then a few blankets moved. He sat up and saw Elle standing in the doorway like a child, small and afraid. "Hey," he grunted, his voice raspy from sleep.

"Emmett...," she whispered, and he tilted his head. She was fidgeting with her hands. He jolted up a bit when he saw her shaking.

"Come 'ere," he called to her, and she pushed the door all the way open and went straight into his arms. He then clearly saw the sweat that was practically pouring off of her, and the dried tears on the sides of her cheeks. For the first time since that night, she truly emotionally broke down, no tears, no screaming, just guilt and fear radiating off of her. No asking why Callahan tried to do it, no begging to God for it to not be real, just a total emotional outburst against herself.

She didn't sob. She didn't push him away. Instead, a seed of dread was planted inside of her and it finally bloomed. She could feel every negative emotion go through her, and the filth and grime she felt earlier only felt even stickier and thick against her skin. Her heart felt heavy and dense, as if someone took it and replaced it with a large rock. She was shaking from disgust of herself, and he felt it.

She hated herself all over again. _My fault._

"If I didn't stay when he asked me to, if I didn't slap him, or maybe if I did something more,-"

"Elle."

"If I did something different, would you have to be here with me? I lashed out at Vivienne at the hospital when she was trying to be _friendly_ with me, I shouldn't've done tha-"

" _Elle-"_

" _IT'S MY FAULT,"_ she yelled over him. She pushed him away, the total reverse from what she just wanted, but something made her change her mind. " _Don't try to fix this Emmett; it's my problem to deal with-!"_ Her voice was angry, shaky, and pained. He could hear her breathing; it was quick and frantic, like she was running away from something. She was scratching under the splint again, and now that he paid attention to the spot he could clearly see a large pink rash forming, nail marks swelling and irritating the skin.

Her chest was starting to hurt, making it harder to breathe. She felt numb around the edges, and yet her fingernails kept digging into her arm. "I-it's all my _fault_ ," she choked. Her voice was small and raspy. "I was probably leading him on somehow, wasn't I? It's because I'm a blonde and I'm a girl and _I should've known-"_

"Breathe," he reminded her, trying to be gentle and not scare her like he did in the car ride. He didn't touch her, afraid that it might startle her. He knew she was panicking. "I'm not expecting you to calm down easily, but I want you to just breathe in."

She was trembling. Elle followed his instructions and breathed in slowly. She let out an even slower, shaky, outward breath. When she finally relaxed, he then put his hands over hers in a comforting gesture. She twitched and almost pulled away, but she wanted him to be with her right now. _Don't pull away._

"Elle," he tried again. "You don't have to tell me anything. It's four in the morning. You've only slept for two hours-"

"I _can't_ sleep Emmett," she pleaded, her eyes filling with fear. "I _can't._ "

He pulled her hand off of her arm and reached for the brace. He pushed the sweater sleeve up to show her brace. In the nook where her elbow bent, the redness was spreading up her arm, skin was scratched off, and when he poked it she hissed like it was an open would. The wool that covered that part of her arm was worn down and seemed pulled, like she picked at it. He sighed, and reached for her left hand. Under her fingernails was scraped off skin, most likely from when she was 'fidgeting' with her hands in the doorway. Sure enough, on the other hand there were marks on her fingers.

"You're ruining your arm," he said softly. She looked like she was angry, but her body language said she was tired. He let go of her hand to reach up and tuck some hair behind her ear. She leaned into his touch, like before in the exam room. _Elle looks so vulnerable._

She sat on the bed now, very close to Emmett as if they were about to hug. Her legs were tucked under her and her shoulders slouched, making her look very petite and tiny. He was still holding her other hand, feeling the stiff splint against his palm. _No wonder she's itching near it,_ he thought. _This feels horrible to wear._

She stared into her lap as he went to inspect her other arm as well. She was only scratching her right; her left was unscathed except for the bruises on her arms, which were starting to turn an ugly shade of purple.

Her breath hitched as he touched the bruises. She pulled away, and he looked up from his examination to see her eyes flash with fear. Elle froze.

"Sorry-" they said at the same time. Emmett pulled a look of confusion as she looked away in shame. A bitterness filled his mouth.

"Why are _you_ sorry?" Emmett frowned. "He did this to you; you didn't cause this. He should be sorry, and even if he _did_ say he was, it wouldn't sure as hell be enough to undo this."

He lifted her arm up slightly to prove his point. "You would _never_ do this to yourself."

She looked at him, like she was guilty in every way possible. "But I _did,_ " she whimpered. "He did it for a _reason,_ he wanted me just because I was hot, and I'm the reason why I made myself gullible-"

"No, _genetics_ are the reason you're hot," he exhaled. "And you are _not_ gullible, you are _incredibly_ smart, and kind, and beautiful, and worth so much _more_." She looked at him coldly.

"Compliments sure as _hell_ won't be enough to undo _this_ ," she mocked, holding up her arm for him to see. Her face fell again, and it was back to her looking dangerously close to sobbing in his arms. "I just want to _leave,_ Emmett," she plead. " _Leave_ and never see him again and just pretend it never happened-"

She choked, and finally she hugged him again, crying into his chest. Instead of lying on Callahan's office floor half-naked though, she was kneeling in Emmett's bed, wanting time to just _stop_ for one moment to let her have her peace. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, feeling his heart break all over again.

"God, _I'm so sorry-"_ she begged, and he replied with a gentle 'shh'. Her emotions were all over the place; was she feeling betrayal? Pity? Rage? He couldn't tell anything. All he knew was that she was _hurt_ , and she was too fragile to just get back up and fight again. Elle had finally collapsed, and reached her breaking point.

After a good moment, her crying tapered off into a sad hiccupping mess. She pushed herself away from him and pulled down her sleeve over her splint.

"I'll go back to the living room-" she started, but he cut her off with a disapproving glance.

"Stay," he said. "Here. With me."

Elle looked at him. Her breathing still jumped, and small hiccups escaped her mouth. She looked dangerously helpless. "Why?"

 _Because I don't want you to break down alone again._ He swallowed the thought back down. "I… I just want you to be here. I'm afraid too."

He scooted to the right side of the bed and gave her an offering look. "You can take that side if you want."

She paused, then cautiously slid back into the bed. He gave her one half of the blanket, and she shrugged it over herself. Elle turned onto her side, letting her back face him. He flopped back down into the pillows and stared at the ceiling.

"Why are you afraid?" she said. She still didn't face him.

"I wasn't there for you the first time you needed me. I don't want that to be the case with me every time. I'm your best friend; I should be the one who helps you too."

"But you already are," she mumbled. He shot a side look at her before staring back up again.

"I know," he replied. Soon, his vision became dark and he fell asleep. She heard his breathing shallow out and fidgeted with the splint again. _Don't try to fix this Emmett; it's my problem to deal with._

God, she didn't want to drag him in with her.


	4. Care For Her

**Sorry this chapter is super late; last week I had some sort of torn muscle in my leg or idk what, but it set me back, PLUS I had to finish two big projects over the weekend. :/ Anyways, I'm hella better which is coolio. :)**

 **Remember, there's bound to be mistakes in my writing, so forgive me if something seems off.**

 **(-)**

The ride back to the campus was horribly silent, with Vivienne still refusing to look at Warner while he shot begging glances at her to just talk to him. He sighed and tapped his thumbs on the wheel at a red light.

"How's Elle doing?" he asked, trying to break the ice. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"You ask me now, instead of when she was in the car with you?" she scoffed. "Unbelievable." He cringed inwardly, knowing he pissed her off somehow, but he didn't know _how._

"I just thought that mentioning it in front of her might make things worse," he said nervously. "I-I just don't want to do anything harsh to her or something."

Vivienne shook her head and stared out of the window. Everything was passing by them in a blur, and yet it felt as if time had gone to a near halt for the past few hours. All she could think about was how foolish she was to trust Callahan and not pick up on what was about to happen to Elle. There could've been a possibility of them not ending up in this situation at all if she had picked up on the signs that _maybe_ he was dangerous, or coming onto her, or _something_ -

 _No. Don't blame it on yourself._ The little voice of reason popped into her head. _The inevitable is inevitable. You can't change outcomes._

 _But I wish it wasn't the outcome._

Warner was worried as she was. " _I can't believe we didn't see this coming_ ," he exhaled, shaky and fidgety. "I thought Callahan was just a mean teacher or some shit."

Vivienne bit her lip. "I thought so too. And look at what happened."

After a few seconds, Warner choked. "I know she won't call me," he stated, "but, could you tell me how she's doing every once in a while? She won't want to see me, but I just… I'm fucking _pissed._ She didn't deserve that at all."

She looked at him. "She doesn't hate you that much," she argued.

"But… I feel like I'm gonna call her way too often or something, and that'll just tick her off. I don't want to do that."

She furrowed her brows, wondering why Warner would think he could call _too often._ But she shrugged and sighed.

"Call her yourself, Warner. She may have a grudge against you dumping her, but she's still forgiving."

He looked back onto the rode, feeling guilty, but he didn't know why. _Dammit, I should've seen it coming._

 **(-)**

Emmett was confused when he woke up with a warm bed in the morning.

Usually in the mornings, there was some sort of chill nipping the back of his neck, but today, the sun was shining through the windows of his room, and the blanket felt warm and was a pretty good reason to stay in bed for one more hour.

He shifted slightly, and noticed that the mattress sank lower on one side than it did before. That's when he remembered Elle, and how scared she was when he saw her, shaking and crying in Vivienne's arms.

 _It… It wasn't a dream._

A pit formed in the middle of his stomach, and everything turned a lot greyer than it did before. He felt numb.

The blonde lump in his bed stirred, adjusting so that her face was half buried in the pillows, her hair spilling around like a halo. He sat up to look at her, propping himself up on his arms.

There were no dried tear lines coming out of her eyes anymore. A mix of accomplishment and relief rushed through him for a split moment, almost negating the effect of the pit in his stomach. He sighed, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He walked to the kitchen and pulled out a box of pancake mix from the pantry. Emmett placed it on the island counter and started to search for a large bowl in the cabinets.

 **(-)**

When she woke up, Elle was wondering how her twin sized bed all of a sudden became a king, until she snuggled herself deeper into the sheets and realized the familiar scent that surrounded her. _Fresh laundry and books. Emmett._

She opened her eyes and looked around the room. In the spot where her face was pressed against the sheets there were pink and grey stains from her makeup. She felt horrible; ruining her friend's white comforter _and_ sleeping in her makeup? That had to be some sort of sin in the bible.

It felt too quiet for her liking, so she sat up and got off the bed. She pulled the blanket and the sheets back over the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles as best as she could. The room was simple; the bed of course was white, but all the furniture was a dark pine color, like antique tables at a thrift store. There were various knick-knacks scattered and placed carefully on top of the dressers and tables, all of the noticeable memorabilia being at least five years old. A Star Trek watch perched on the edge of the nightstand ( _of course he's a nerd_ ), a bunch of papers and files on top of the dresser, and a shoebox with _playing cards_ written on the side, the handwriting childlike. The one that caught Elle's eye however, was the unsettling troll doll perched near his alarm clock (which was turned off). Its pink tangled hair made it look even more beat up than it probably was. Just looking at it gave Elle the creeps.

She walked out of the room and heard sizzling coming from the kitchen. She found Emmett flipping pancakes and dishing them out on two plates.

"Hey," she said as she sat on a stool next to the counter. Emmett turned around as he slid another pancake onto one of the plates. He smiled.

"Good morning, Little Miss Sunshine," he greeted. "Uh, Pancakes?"

He slid a plate across to her and pointed to the syrup and butter that was conveniently placed in the center of the counter. He handed her a knife and fork from a drawer and turned off the stove. She didn't feel that hungry, but she still sat there and ate her food anyways.

"Sorry I ruined your sheets," she mumbled, spreading butter across the pancakes. "My makeup isn't waterproof." He chuckled, and smiled at her.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I was gonna wash the sheets soon anyways."

Elle looked at him and remembered the fresh laundry smell. _He's lying._ But she shrugged it off.

Emmett stared at her. She would've looked cute if it weren't for how emotionless she looked. Ruffled hair, pale cheeks, and tired eyes ruined her usual image of 'bright and perky', and stirred up his anger at Callahan and what happened last night. There was also something else; like pity, but not pity. He couldn't explain it, but it wasn't an emotion he was feeling about Elle, for some odd reason. It felt more like something against _him._

He walked around the counter and sat down next to her. As much as he was trying to keep a bright face, he was still bitter about what happened. She poured syrup on the side of her plate, and cut the pancakes into triangles. She dropped the knife and picked up the fork with the same hand after she realized the brace didn't allow her to have a good grip on the utensil.

After a quiet moment, he looked at her. " _What're we going to do next?"_ he said quietly. She dragged a triangle of pancake through the puddle of syrup and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Nothing. I don't wanna do anything right now."

Emmett furrowed his brow and frowned. " _Elle_ ," he argued, "Callahan's not gonna wait for us to make our next move. He's gonna find some way to make this disappear quietly, and he's going to go free-"

"What if I want to make it disappear quietly?" she bit back. She stared at her plate and kept saturating her triangles of pancake with syrup. "Look, can we just not talk about him right now?"

He sighed and dropped his fork to rub at his temples. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled. "I'm being dumb right now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are."

There wasn't a playful tone in her statement. She sounded like she was being rude to him, like she was angry. She pushed back the plate and got off the stool. "I'll go wash off my face."

He looked down onto his plate. _Nice going, you idiot._ He looked at her plate, and saw that she only finished a fourth of the meal. The syrup flooded the dish, drowning the bottom pancake in syrup.

He heard his phone ringing down the hall and immediately hopped off his chair. He went into his bedroom to find his phone buzzing on his side table, and reached down to answer it.

"Emmett?" a voice rang out. It was Vivienne.

"Oh thank god, Vivienne," he sighed. "Look, I think I pissed off Elle, and I don't know what to do-"

"You idiot," she groaned. _Thanks for reminding me._ "Did you mention Callahan?" she asked. Emmett grunted and sighed a small 'yeah'. He could practically hear her disapproval from the phone.

"Don't," she told him. "Right now, she's the top priority, not him-"

"But he's the reason she's like this, we should figure out what we're gonna do next-"

"Emmett." Her voice was calm, commanding. "You're rushing into things too quickly."

He bit the inside of his cheek. "She said she said she doesn't want to do anything right now, and we can't _afford_ to do that; she said there were others, right? We need to bring him to justice-"

"I swear to god, you're not making things any better right now!" Emmett jumped at her outburst, and his mind went blank. "She needs support, not a tactical plan to bring Callahan down."

"O-okay," he croaked.

After a long pause, Vivienne processed what he said. "She doesn't want to do anything right now?" she repeated. "As in with Callahan, or with everything that's going on?"

Emmett sighed. "I don't know, she just said she doesn't want to do anything right now." He bit the inside of his cheek again, and laughed bitterly at himself. "She said sorry for ruining my blankets and I made her angry. I'm such a great friend, aren't I?"

"Emmett." Her tone changed to understanding, and an almost _gentleness_. "You don't know how to deal with situations like these-"

"Yeah, I don't."

"-but you need to trust me when I say she needs some space right now. Just, don't leave her alone; you know she hates being alone. Stay around for her."

"I won't leave her alone. I already left her alone once and that ended with her being-"

He almost choked, but caught himself. "-in being attacked." God, he couldn't say it. _Being assaulted._ "I could've stayed you know, and kept watch." He sighed, and looked up to the ceiling, feeling like he might cry right then and there. "I feel like it's _my fault_."

" _I do too_ ," Vivienne said quietly. "But it isn't. The only person who deserves to feel guilty is Callahan, and we're going to deal with him later. Just… _just_ don't do anything stupid or rash."

"Yeah," he mumbled. Another silence fell, and he broke the ice. "Last night," he said admittedly, "she walked into my bedroom and started crying. She's scratching her arm; the one with the brace. It's red."

A hiss came through the phone, and _maybe_ a few swear words, but he couldn't hear clearly. "Make sure she doesn't do that, then," she replied. "Wrap a damp towel around it to make sure it doesn't swell. She could've dug deep enough into the skin to cut through it, so make sure to bandage it. And keep watch on her, but not too much. She might become paranoid that you're becoming overprotective of her."

He made an 'uh-huh' and nodded. "And keep her occupied. Making her sit around is just going to make her feel like a prisoner. Does she want to be picked up yet?"

"I-I don't know. I'll ask her."

"As much as you want to keep her there, she might get too attached, and it won't end well. She's emotionally unstable, and you know Elle can be heart-driven. Remind her to keep her head straight."

"Thanks. I'll call you if she wants to get picked up."

"Remember, don't force her."

And with that note, she hung up. Emmett removed the phone from his ear and stared at it. _How the hell does she know all that?_

He walked out across to the bathroom. The door was shut, but he could hear water running from a faucet. He couldn't hear anyone washing their face, though.

He knocked on the door. "Elle?" he said. "Vivienne wants to know if you want to go back to campus yet."

The faucet was turned off. "What if he's there?"

It took Emmett a second to process what she said, but he realized she was talking about Callahan.

"Vivienne and Enid are in the same dorms as you, right? They're there."

Silence. "But…"

"He'd be stupid if he tried to come back to campus after what happened."

She opened the door slightly and peeked through the small crack. "You think so?"

"You trust me, don't you?"

She remembered when she asked him the same question outside of the department store. He trusted her, so why shouldn't she trust him?

But she trusted Callahan too. And look at where that got her.

She didn't reply. "Yeah," she said. "I guess I'll go back to campus. The dorms might be safer, probably. I don't know."

"They will. To be honest, my neighborhood is kind of shady. You'll have people around you at campus."

She smiled, and nodded at him. She stepped out and hugged Emmett, to his surprise. He slowly wrapped his arms around her body, relaxing into the hug, her burying her nose into his chest and inhaling deeply. He smelled nice. _Really nice._ Comforting, actually.

"Hold on, I'm gonna take care of your arm," he said, and he dragged her back into the bathroom with him. He reached under the sink to pull out a first aid kit. "I don't want you to hurt yourself, alright?"

He opened it and took out a large gauze pad. Elle stared at her arm, and the stupid brace that was wrapped around it.

"Please don't try to scratch the hell out of your skin again," he said. "I don't want you to hurt yourself like that."

"I didn't mean to, it just kept on itching-"

"I know. For my piece of mind Elle. You don't want to ruin your arm."

"…Okay."

He pushed up her sleeve and looked at the scratches that decorated her arm. They were red and irritated again.

"Were you…?" he trailed off, looking at her. She seemed to shrink up in shame. She barely nodded.

"I-I was nervous that I ticked you off," she mumbled, "and you would hate me."

He faintly smiled at her, and that sad feeling in his stomach emerged again. "I couldn't hate you Elle." _Because I love you._

He grabbed the small towel off the rack behind him and ran some cold water on it. He dabbed at the areas near her brace gently. "I'm sorry for what I said," Elle frowned. "I-it was rude, and totally uncalled for, and-"

He glared at her to shut up. "You don't have to say sorry, Elle."

She said nothing in reply. He wiped off the excess water with the dry part of the towel, and started to put the gauze on her bicep. "I'm going to put some bandages on the places where you scratched, alright?" he said calmly. "So it'll be a little protection if you decide to reach and dig into your skin again."

She nodded, and watched how steadilt he taped the gauze on her arm, then started peeling off the paper from a large bandaid and placing it on the back of her hand. _He would've made a good surgeon._

There was a cloud of calmness surrounding him. "You called me sweetheart last night," Elle said. "Why?"

Emmett stopped and tensed up. "I-I did?"

"Yeah." She looked up at him. "And you kept… _kissing_ my head. Like what my mom did before when I passed out in middle school. We drove to the hospital, and she kept kissing me."

"Wait, why?" He was smoothing out the bandages across her arm now.

"I fell down the stairs and broke my arm, and I was crying. You acted the same way she did. She was worried _sick_."

He blinked at her, and slowly started to chuckle at himself. "I guess we both care for you a lot," he shrugged. He reddened and looked at her arm as if in deep concentration, even though he was already finished with the job. "I dunno, I was worried as hell."

She smiled. "You'd make an excellent mom, then," she added. "Emmett, the overprotective mother-"

He scoffed at her. She hit him playfully, and they both started laughing. He was glad she was finally acting a lot more normal now, though he knew it wouldn't last long and reality would start crashing down on them again.

"I could imagine you with kids, you know," she said quietly. "White picket fence and everything. Kids running all over your front lawn, a dog maybe, you in a suit and tie-"

"With a wife," he added, almost a whisper. They looked at each other eye-to-eye.

"Whoever future Mrs. Forrest may be," she smiled, "she's gonna be _really_ lucky."

There was an unspoken tension between them, which only reminded Emmett of last night and him waiting outside her dorm room, wondering when she would come back and hoping she hadn't ditched him. He felt sick and exhaled softly, looking downward like he was ashamed of something. She put her hand on his arm.

"Are you _alright_?" she asked him, and he nodded. "I should be the one helping you, not the other way around," he laughed meekly. Looking at her made him feel guilty again.

"Come on," he said. He let go of her arm and looked forwards. "We can wait on the steps for Vivienne."


	5. Help Her

**A/N: GAAAAHHH! So sorry this took pretty long- IDK why, but I had trouble with Vivienne's side of the conversation, and what emotions she would feel and whatnot. But I'm glad I got to exercise my writing skills and try that out, since it's not something I usually do.**

 **Also, note that I live all the way across the US (California to be exact), and I NO idea on what kinds of restaurants or what terrain Massachusetts has, so take my descriptions with a veeery small grain of salt. Cuz ya know, I'm a valley girl like Elle. :P**

 **(PS, I'm trying to write a lil bit of Callahan to balance the story out, so stay tuned for that in a next chapter. Maybe.)**

 **(-)**

Vivienne woke up later than usual. Her alarm clock was going off, but she had slept through it, the persistent beep ringing in her ears and annoying the hell out of her. She groaned and slapped the clock, fingers feeling for the off switch. She switched it off, and rolled onto her back, taking in the cold morning air.

She stared at the ceiling, contemplating last night. All she could think about was last night's conversation with Warner, and his shakiness over the whole ordeal. He looked surprisingly fine for having a fight a few hours earlier, although he did look worn out and tired. And yet, _somehow,_ he still had the energy to worry nonstop about Elle, and not give a moment's thought to his own health.

Oh. _Warner._

She could tell he was trying to be helpful, but if she were truthfully honest, _he wasn't any help at all._ It irritated her that now, _finally,_ he was being nice to Elle instead of trying to make up their mistakes a long time ago. Granted, Vivienne was also cutthroat to Elle, but she had realized how much work she had put into going into Harvard, and she _admired_ her for that; meanwhile, Warner had kept up a facade of being better than Elle, and that really pissed her off. Sure, he may be her ex, but he should've been gentler in her opinion.

 _At least he's trying, I suppose._

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. _7:43,_ the alarm clock read. _Great, it's been going off for 43 frickin' minutes._ Bruiser was at the foot of her bed, curled up into a ball under her blanket. She carefully slipped herself out of her sheets so she didn't disturb him, and prepared to take a shower in the dorm bathrooms.

As she took her shower and brushed her teeth, her mind kept drifting off to Elle, and what would've happened if they didn't find her soon enough.

 _No. Don't think there._

But what _if_ they had come sooner? Would they have avoided this? Or what if they didn't find her until morning? Ironically enough, Warner getting coffee was the one action that saved Elle from being-

 _Raped. Sexually assaulted and raped._

What was it with the 'R-word'? No one could force themselves to say it out loud; Elle was trying to avoid anything involving Callahan completely, Emmett was only paying attention to her, and Warner looked almost as shaken as she was. It was like no one wanted to go near the subject even though that's what happened.

She went into her dorm and started picking stuff from her drawers. She looked outside of her window and noticed all the fogginess and gloom that was rolling through the campus. _Fitting weather for the situation._ She sighed, and grabbed a warm coat and a scarf. She reached for her phone and tossed it into her purse, slinging the bag over her shoulder. Bruiser by now had woken up, and leapt off the bed to nip near her ankles. Vivienne chuckled, and grabbed the leash she had taken from Elle's dorm, and clipped it onto his collar. _It's a miracle they haven't evicted Elle yet._

She walked out of the dorm, smiling and saying hello to a few of the students who were just now waking up. As she walked down the hall, she saw Elle's door. She stared at it for a few moments, an unreadable expression on her face. After a silent moment, she continued walking. _Don't think too hard on it, Vivienne, don't think too hard-_

 _ **Massachusetts, 7 years ago.**_

" _Vee!" A young girl's laughter rang throughout the house. "Veeeee! Haul your ass back up here!"_

 _Vivienne laughed, and turned around, her feet grazing the soft grass as she spun. A girl ran out of a house, chasing her. The girl stopped and laughed at her, then grinned brightly. She reached out for Vivienne's hands, and held them._

" _Are you sure this is a good idea?" Vivienne sighed. The girl laughed in return, and swung Vivienne's hands._

" _I'm sure," she smiled. "Look, if you don't wanna come, I won't force you to do anything. But I_ highly _suggest you just come along for the ride just because. Who knows, I might need backuuuupp."_

 _Vivienne grinned and hugged her. "You're not going to need backup, Jamie. You have your_ boyfriend _to keep watch on you."_

 _Jamie lightly punched her arm teasingly. "It's nothing serious," she reminded her. "Like you said, it's just teen love or whatever. You're my rock, not him. Don't be so jelly."_

 _The two girls laughed. Jamie backed away slowly, and went back into the house, closing the door. "Remember, after school we're gonna meet!"_

 _The door was the same color as the dorm's._

(-)

Vivienne strolled down the steps and headed towards the parking lot. As she walked as far away as possible from the dorms in her fastest walking pace, Warner spotted her out of the corner of his eye and began to wave her down.

"Hey!" he called out. Vivienne noticed, but ignored him. He ran to catch up with her, his messenger bag hitting the side of his hip as he chased her. Bruiser noticed the change of pace and started walking faster with Vivienne.

"Vivienne-" he began, but she put her hand up between their faces and turned away. Bruiser growled towards him.

"Not right now Warner, I don't want to deal with it-"

"Did you hear anything from her yet?" Warner asked, ignoring her previous statement. She sighed, and stopped walking.

"If you really care about her, you would call her _yourself_ ," Vivienne grumbled. Bruiser barked at Warner, his stance turning aggressively. His demeanor shrunk slightly, and he leaned away from her and the dog. "I'm not going to become your little informant, or whatever you want me to be, for you. _You_ should ask her how she's doing."

"Vivienne, you don't understand," he begged. "I don't want to make her _hate_ me, that's the last thing on my mind right now-"

"She won't hate you," she stated. She turned to face him eye-to-eye. "Call her on your cellphone later."

"But-" He ground his teeth together and balled his fist, lowering his voice. " _I dumped her, for god's sake,"_ he explained. "I mean, come on, your boyfriend ditches you for law school and then suddenly, he starts being supportive of you? That sounds _weird!_ "

She stared at him ridiculously. "You're worried about what people will think."

"No, I'm worried about if everyone will suddenly notice how protective we're becoming towards her. And then they'll suspect something, and I _know_ Elle enough to know she doesn't want anyone knowing right now."

Vivienne looked at Bruiser. Somehow he managed to look fed up with Warner's presence, which made her smirk. She scoffed at Warner, not entirely accepting the answer, but she decided it was reasonable anyway. There was silence between them as she processed it. "You want to keep things under the radar?" she said. He nodded.

"I know that you know she doesn't want anyone to know right now. I've dated her for long enough to know when she wants to keep something from someone, and I could _tell_ by the way you're walking you're probably on your way to pick her up from Emmett's or something."

She stood there quietly. "I _was_ planning to ask if she did want to be picked up, but yes. I was."

Warner swallowed. He exhaled softly, his breath forming little clouds into the air. They glowed against the sunlight starting to shine over the campus. "When?"

"I was planning to call them after I fetched breakfast." Timidly, she asked, "Want to come with me?"

He nodded his head vigorously, and they walked towards her car in a much slower pace, Bruiser following tensely. She didn't extend her hand out for Warner to hold, like she usually did. Instead, she kept them tucked away in her coat pockets, walking together with a much farther space between them than before.

 **(-)**

They were sitting in a small booth, the leather seats worn over time, duct tape patching up the bigger holes while the newer scuffs and tears exposed the foam underneath. It was a small diner, yes, but it had that feeling of hominess, even if you never ate at a diner before. It was a popular place for students to get a meal- reasonably priced, friendly, and almost never empty. The owners were friendly enough with Emmett to allow Vivienne and Warner to bring Bruiser in after saying his name.

Vivienne took small bites from her scrambled eggs as Warner ate his club sandwich. His strange breakfast choice was a bit alarming- usually he ate something light and simple for breakfast- but right now, he was _starving._

She fed Bruiser her slices of bacon since she didn't like greasy fried foods all that much, which overjoyed the dog. His head was resting on Vivienne's lap as she fed him. Warner had tried feeding him a fry off of his plate but Bruiser rejected it by huffing his nose and turning his head away. She had laughed at Warner, which made him redden from being embarrassed by a dog.

She looked up from her plate, and frowned. "Did you eat dinner last night?" she asked, noticing the way he ate the fries on his plate in an almost alarming rate. He didn't say anything.

He swallowed, and looked down onto his plate. "I didn't really…," he trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I don't think I could've eaten anything last night." He laughed nervously. " _Christ,_ I only fell asleep because I was so damn _tired._ I would've probably stood up all night if I had the energy."

"Me too," she chuckled with him, but there was no joy with her saying it. She had felt the exact same feeling before, all those years ago. Emptiness. Blame. _Guilt._

 _I could've helped her._

And she still had to deal with her conflicting feelings about Warner. Yes, she did love him, and that was a pretty big reason as to why she stayed with him. But she realized that she was staying with him just to spite Elle, and with her as her friend now? She wasn't even sure she even wanted to be near him. Vivienne wondered if he could sense this in her- the way she was rejecting his touch, or how she was fiddling with the engagement ring more often than usual. She gently dropped her fork onto her plate and took out her phone for the millionth time in the past 30 minutes.

 _No messages. Damn._ She weighed the device in her hand, contemplating whether or not she should make the first move and call Emmett's place first. _Maybe they're not awake yet?_ she argued in her head. _But what if they're waiting for you to call?_ Bruiser whined, and she fed him another small bit of her bacon. He licked it out of her hand happily.

Warner saw the confliction in her face. "You okay?" he said after swallowing another fry. She sighed in frustration, and leaned back into the leather booth.

"Should I call Emmett yet?" she asked. She swore she saw his face twitch when he mentioned Emmett's name, but she dismissed it.

"What time is it?" he asked.

She looked at her phone's clock. "Ten."

"Elle doesn't sleep later than eleven, even if it's a weekend. She's probably close to waking up by now."

She nodded, and traced her phone's LED screen, contemplating whether not to call them. She had stored Emmett's contact info in her phone when they first were assigned the Windham case, which used to be used only for professional advice and consultation during the trial. Now, it seemed as if he became an acquaintance to the students rather than just a TA.

The sun streamed through the windows of the diner, and shined into her eyes. She ignored it.

She flipped her phone back open and went immediately to Emmett's contact info. She pressed the call button and waited, holding her phone up to her ear almost impatiently.

"Emmett?" she said, hearing a click as if someone answered. A sigh.

"Oh thank god, Vivienne," he said. Relief washed over her as soon as he answered. "Look, I think I pissed off Elle, and I don't know what to do-"

 _Nevermind._ The relief was gone, and tension replaced it once again. She rolled her eyes and groaned. "You idiot." It came out harsher than she meant for it to be, but she rolled with it anyway. Bruiser looked up from her lap, his ears pointed as he listened to the conversation. "Did you mention Callahan?"

Warner's interest in the conversation made him look up from his meal and stare at her. Vivienne looked at him, mouthing ' _problems'._ His facial features contorted, showing he was as worried as she was.

" _Yeah_ …," Emmett grumbled. Vivienne's silent reaction told Warner the whole story.

"Don't," she scolded. "Right now, she's the top priority, not him-"

"But he's the reason she's like this, we should figure out what we're gonna do next-" he interrupted, which frustrated her for a moment.

"Emmett." She tried to keep her voice as calm and as even as she could without screaming. Warner raised an eyebrow, and she shook her head towards him. He slouched. "You're rushing into things too quickly," she explained to Emmett. She heard him hiss in anger.

"She said she said she doesn't want to do anything right now, and we can't _afford_ to do that; she said there were others, right? We need to bring him to justice-"

 _Oh my god, this guy won't stop will he?_ "I swear to god, _you're not making things any better right now!_ " she groaned, but it came out too loud, turning the heads of a couple in a nearby booth. She reddened, and Warner smiled apologetically towards them. Bruiser growled at Vivienne for being so loud. The couple sighed and shrugged, turning back to their breakfast.

"She needs support," Vivienne said in a much calmer voice, staring at Bruiser, "not a tactical plan to bring Callahan down."

"Okay," Emmett said, but it sounded a little shakier than she had expected. She went over what he said in her head and stopped.

"She doesn't want to do anything right now?" she questioned. Warner mouthed to her ' _what is it about?',_ but Vivienne shook her head. ' _Elle isn't cooperating.'_ She started to absentmindedly scratch Bruiser's head as he started to tense up again. "As in with Callahan, or with everything that's going on?" she continued.

"I don't know, she just said she doesn't want to do anything right now." A laugh echoed from her phone, bitter and angry. "She said sorry for ruining my blankets and I made her angry. I'm such a great friend, aren't I?"

She had heard that tone of voice in her head before. She said that to herself a long time ago, in fact.

 _I angered her. I'm a wonderful friend to have._

"Emmett." Her voice dropped significantly. Warner realized it was her 'calm and caring' voice she used whenever Vivienne tried calming Warner down. "You don't know how to deal with situations like these-"

"Yeah, _I don't_ ," Emmett grunted.

"-but you need to trust me when I say she needs some space right now." Vivienne looked at Warner for confirmation with her advice, and he nodded back. "Just, don't leave her alone; you know she hates being alone." After a quiet moment, she added, "stay around for her."

"I won't leave her alone." His voice was small and quiet. _Disappointed._ "I already left her alone once and that ended with her being-"

He stopped, like his voice was halted or stopped, like a video. A heavy feeling casted over Vivienne. She knew exactly what kind of emotions he was feeling. "-in being attacked." _There. He avoided the r-word._ "I could've stayed you know, and kept watch," he said quietly.

She was silent for a small moment. " _I do too._ But it isn't. The only person who deserves to feel guilty is Callahan, and we're going to deal with him later." She looked outside of the window, and saw how ironic the sunshine was. Today was anything but a happy day. "Just… just don't do anything stupid or rash."

"Yeah."

There was an even longer pause, and then his voice broke out again. "Last night, she walked into my bedroom and started crying. She's scratching her arm; the one with the brace." She heard him breath in again. _"It's red."_

"Crap."

Vivienne didn't say it loud enough for anyone to overhear, but Warner and Bruiser immediately took notice. "What's the matter?" he asked, leaning towards her. Bruiser whimpered. She lifted the phone off her face.

"Elle's scratching her skin, and irritating it. I think it might be from the aftermath of the stress after last night. It's… it's a physiological thing that happens to victims." She remembered all those pamphlets she read in the hospital, both before in high school and last night. "I didn't expect for it to come on so quickly."

"Oh, _god._ " Warner growled, which scared her for a small moment. Bruiser made a huffing sound, like he was angry as well. "She'd never do anything to hurt herself," he breathed. "And she worked _so hard_ to keep her complexion perfect. God, _fuck Callahan."_

She turned back to the phone, frowning. "Make sure she doesn't do that, then," she replied, trying to keep her voice even. "Wrap a damp towel around it to make sure it doesn't swell. She could've dug deep enough into the skin to cut through it, so make sure to bandage it. And keep watch on her, but not too much. She might become paranoid that you're becoming overprotective of her."

Her set of instructions were strangely detailed to Warner, but he didn't care. A small grunt of 'uh-huh' came out of the phone.

"And keep her occupied," she added. "Making her sit around is just going to make her feel like a prisoner."

She looked down onto her phone and read the time again. "Does she want to be picked up yet?" she asked.

 _"I-I don't know,"_ he replied. She deflated, knowing his answer wasn't that useful until he added, "I'll ask her."

"As much as you want to keep her there, she might get too attached, and it won't end well. She's emotionally unstable, and you know Elle can be heart-driven." Warner chuckled quietly, and mumbled, "she sure can." Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Remind her to keep her head straight."

"Thanks. I'll call you if she wants to get picked up."

"Remember, don't force her."

She hung up, and tossed her phone into her purse. "We should go back to the dorm soon; I might have to pick up Elle."

"Oh. Right. She's expecting _you_ to pick her up, not me. I'd be crowding the car, wouldn't I." He sounded disappointed to leave, but he nodded. As their waitress came around for their check, she could only stare at her purse and think about how angry Warner was with all of this. _He actually cares._

"I might drop off Bruiser in Elle's dorm too," Vivienne said to him during the car ride. Bruiser was standing on Warner's lap, looking through the window and watching the cars. "Could you do it for me and bring me back the key to my car? I know you're familiar with him, and I think you might want to spend more time with him. I know you missed him."

Warner nodded a bit too eagerly. "Yeah, definitely," he said. "He rejected me like a nerd asking the popular girl to prom. That _hurt_!"

Vivienne smiled, and settled into her seat. Bruiser stepped down and settled back into Warner's lap, still tense around him. She thought that maybe he was still angry at him for dumping Elle, and decided that maybe spending more time would ease that a bit, even if it was just being dropped off at Elle's dorm.

 **(-)**

It was a good forty-five minutes before Emmett called to say Elle was ready. Vivienne pulled up to the apartment building, Emmett outside with Elle, sitting on the steps. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders protectively over the blue sweatshirt she wore last night.

They stood up and walked to the car. He opened the passenger's door for Elle, and she ducked inside. Vivienne looked at Emmett and nodded.

"Thank you, Emmett," she said, and he smiled back. "It's fine," he replied, and glanced at Elle. She looked downwards into her lap and twiddled her thumbs.

Emmett closed the door shut, and Vivienne put her car into drive. As they started to drive off, Elle glanced at her and tapped her fingers on her brace, near the bandage Emmett put onto her arm.

"Isn't it cold?" Vivienne asked. "I didn't think of you having to wait outside for me, so-"

"No, it's okay," Elle smiled. Her grin started to fade when she looked at her brace, and its unappealing shade of navy blue.

"How's Bruiser? Did he behave?" she asked, and Vivienne laughed.

"He was great. He slept under my blanket last night."

"He does that when it's cold." Elle smiled. "It's cute, isn't it?"

"Definitely."

Elle stopped smiling, her mood changing into a sad frown. "Enid- does she know what happened?" she asked. Vivienne nodded.

"I know you don't want the news to spread, but we have to keep everything in order. I hope you're not worried."

"That's fine. It saves me a lot of explaining, actually," she laughed weakly.

Vivienne turned the steering wheel as they turned a corner and sighed. "Are you sure you want to go back to campus? I don't want to force you into anything-"

"I... I'm a little afraid."

"Because of Callahan."

"Yeah." Her voice was so tiny; she could only faintly hear her reply.

"Elle, you know you don't have to jump into this directly-"

" _Viv,_ " she insisted, "I don't want to inconvenience Emmett any more than I've already done. "

"It's not an inconvenience if we _want_ to help you," Vivienne groaned. "We hate Callahan as much as you do now, and we will _try_ to the best of our ability to help you-"

"Yeah well I don't need your help," Elle snapped. "I'm not five anymore, and you're not my mom."

Vivienne backed off, and sighed. There was a long silence that followed.

"Did you rethink your plan of moving back to California?" she said. Elle shook her head.

"I don't know now," she mumbled. "I want to leave _so badly_ , but I can't."

She stared out the window, taking note of all the people walking down the street. They looked happy, content. It was like they never noticed all the bad happening in the world right now. "If I did, I'd miss all you guys so much, and I don't know if that's what I need right now-"

"Good. You need to rationalize this, Elle."

"-but I still _don't know,_ Vivienne. I'm not sure about _anything_ right now, and if I should even try to do things right away or leave it for a while, or maybe just forget about everything, I-I _don't know_ -"

Her voice trailed off as she remembered what Callahan had said to her, about the supposed 'others' he had done it to, and how he pushed her against the wall, and him pushing her legs open-

"Elle." Vivienne's voice brought her back to reality. She placed a hand on her arm. "Don't drift away yet."

She looked up, and saw that they stopped at a red light. Elle swallowed. She didn't realize she had stopped breathing until she felt a dry ache in the middle of her chest. She breathed in shakily, and out again in a steady motion. Vivienne looked at her carefully.

"I-I'm _fine_ ," Elle said, and nudged her hand off her arm. "Two hands on the wheel, you know."

A feeling of melancholy settled in Vivienne's chest, and she turned away to look back on the road. The light turned green, and she continued to drive, asking no more questions and leaving the car in a state of silence. It seemed all of her car rides had been silent since last night.

(-)

The car stopped at the student parking lot. Elle stepped out of the car, Vivienne watching her. They were walking towards the campus gate.

"Wait," she stopped, and Elle turned to face her. Vivienne pulled off her scarf and wrapped it around Elle's neck. "Your bruises. People might start asking questions."

Elle nodded, and properly tied it around her neck. "Thank you, Vivienne."

As they walked into campus, several students noticed Elle's arrival and started whispering among themselves, some in awe of the blonde after the trial, and others questioning why she was in probably the least fashionable outfit she had ever worn during the entire year. Enid walked up towards them and placed a hand on her arm, feeling the brace against her palm. She frowned.

"You alright, Elle?" she asked, worry showing in her eyes. She glanced down to her arm. Elle nodded and smiled. "I fractured my arm," Elle meekly smiled.

"I heard. I hope we catch that douchebag for what he did. God, I _knew_ there was something fishy about him, but I didn't know _what,"_ she said bitterly. " _Men._ "

"Why are they talking...?" Elle asked quietly, trying to steer the conversation away from Callahan. Enid relaxed and smiled, straightening her posture and looking proud at her.

"You didn't hear? After the trial, everyone's been calling you and Emmett the perfect ' _dream team_ '." Enid spread her hands apart as if drawing a rainbow, making Elle smile. "They saw how you handled Nikos after you guys found out he was perjuring himself, and they've practically been talking like nonstop about it. You and Emmett are kinda a big thing around campus now."

She leaned in closer, as if telling a secret. " _To be honest with ya_ , I think everyone's rewatching the trial just for you."

Elle would've blushed at the compliment, but all she could see were the people who were talking about her. It made her feel nervous and self-conscious, which was an unsettling feeling. Usually when they were talking about her it was about how good she looked, or something _positive,_ but seeing the circumstances, there was nothing positive for them to talk about. Not even her outfit was good. _At least Emmett took comfort over fashion,_ she laughed to herself.

"We should go," Vivienne nudged Elle. "Take a shower and relax." _And get out of the spotlight._ Elle nodded, and started to walk past the groups of students, ignoring their eyes on her back. Enid nodded, and slipped away just as Vivienne started to walk with Elle beside her.

"You're quiet Elle," Vivienne mumbled. "You said three words out of that entire conversation."

Elle only looked downwards, and tugged at the blue jacket harder. "I don't want to talk right now, I guess."

Vivienne bit her cheek. "I won't complain."

When they reached Vivienne's dorm first, she turned to Elle and said, "Tell me if you need _anything_ , or if Callahan tries to contact you. I'm going to finish a few things about the Windham trial."

"You don't need help?" Elle asked, but Vivienne shook her head.

"I'll be perfectly fine."

She took off the scarf and gave it to her. "I have more scarves to cover up this," she pointed around her neck, "so I don't need it. It looks better on you anyways."

Elle walked towards her dorm. She found a note on her bed that read, _I'm here for you,_ in Warner's handwriting. She smiled at the sweetness at it, but put it into the trash anyways. Even after greeting Bruiser with head scratches and belly rubbing, it still didn't help with the bruises still healing on her neck and on her arms. Neither did crying into her pillow that afternoon.


	6. Ignore Her

**A/N: Now, this chapter is def Callahan-orientated. It's at when we last saw him- driving away from his law firm office after being knocked out by Warner. It's also the chapter where I get to build on Callahan's background and his life, since we don't see that in the movie OR the musical; however, there's some information on his book counterpart which I will use (and yeah, I read the book bc I love Legally Blonde that much). However, Callahan wasn't actually in the book, so this is kinda like an adaptation of the character which I believe he was based off of. Of course I'll add a bunch more though, since the character himself isn't that much to go on with in the first place.**

 **(-)**

Callahan stepped out of his car, dragging his suitcase achingly, and walked up the steps of his home with a small limp. He didn't look at himself in a mirror yet, but he was sure he had a black eye by now. His body ached and his head still hurt, and overall, he probably shouldn't have been driving his car in the first place.

The man's breathing was raggedy, but he pushed on and finally reached the door to insert his key and enter. Too tired to even walk up the stairs of his home, he dropped his suitcase on the floor beside the entrance in a much-too-loud _clunk!_ , then tossed himself onto the leather couch with great care as to not irritate any more injuries. He let out a great sigh after relaxing into the cushions, and threw his glasses onto the coffee table.

Just as he did so, a light flickered on upstairs in the stairwell.

"Chris?"

A woman walked downstairs in a silk purple nightgown that just barely reached her knees. She flipped on a switch, and a nearby lamp turned on. "You finally came home," she smiled, and walked towards him. She carefully perched herself on the edge of the couch to put a hand on his knee.

"You didn't have to wake up," he sighed, and threw his head back into the arm rest. He jerked up however, when a flash of pain pierced through his neck. The woman saw this, and immediately scooted forward to check his face.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "Your eye."

Callahan chuckled meekly. "Someone tried mugging me," he lied. "Couldn't even find my wallet, so they just beat me up and tossed me."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Why didn't you just call the police?" Her thumb stroked his cheek gently, and she stood up. "I'll get you that bag of peas in the freezer."

"Thank you, love."

He put his head against the armrest much gentler this time, and closed his eyes. She came back with the promised bag of peas wrapped in a paper towel, and gently placed it on his eye. He smiled without looking at her.

"You don't have to do all of this," he mumbled, reached out for her hand. She accepted it with a smile, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb with one hand while continuing to press the peas against his eye with the other.

"I'm worried, Chris. You're spending way too many hours in the firm-"

"It's because of the damn Windham case-"

"I know, I know," she hushed him, "but you're growing _old_ , baby. You can't keep acting the same way you did at twenty."

He opened his one eye slowly and brought up her hand to kiss it. "I know I'm getting old. But we have to enjoy life, right?"

The woman shook her head. "If you keep being so reckless every time you clock in extra hours, you may very well die as soon."

Callahan stopped smiling, and held her hand tighter. "I won't then. I promise. For you."

The woman lifted the bag off his eye and stared at his body. "Anywhere else you might have a bruise?"

He lifted the peas out of her hand and sat up. Callahan slowly kissed her on the cheek and grinned.

"Go back upstairs and get your night's rest. I'll meet you."

She sighed, but complied anyway with his instruction. She left the light on as she walked upstairs, which Callahan was grateful for since he didn't want to bump into anything tonight.

 _What the hell am I going to do?_

(-)

After constant nagging the morning after, Callahan reluctantly agreed to go to a nearby clinic for a simple checkup. He was glad that there was in fact, a small open clinic, nearby the campus, as it was (not surprisingly) convenient for college students who were either were too reckless in personal adventures, or just doing general young adult things that should never be attempted, and yet are still done. There were several hospitals nearby he could've gone too, but the staff in this particular one knew him well. He sat down into an empty chair, blowing a soft breath of air out to relieve his boredom.

"Callahan, Christopher!" a woman at the front desk called, and he stood up and raised his hand. The woman nodded, and he walked towards the clinic desk. "Room three, right over there," she smiled, and pointed towards an open room, with a doctor inside holding a yellow file.

"Thank you," he grinned back, and swiftly rushed into the room. The doctor greeted him with a "Hi!", and shook his hand after closing the door. Callahan sat on the exam table in the middle of the room, the paper crinkling underneath him.

"Christopher, good to see you again," the doctor smiled. "Pull a muscle this time? Back getting to you?"

Callahan chuckled and shook his head. "No, Dr. Jensen, I got jumped last night."

Dr. Jensen rolled out a doctor's chair from besides the exam table and slid it perfectly underneath him with ease. He sat patiently and opened up the yellow file in his hands.

"So, you were mugged last night, is that correct?" Dr. Jensen asked. Callahan nodded.

"I tried fighting him back, but I think he knocked me out," he added. "I'd left my wallet at the office though, so all he probably got was some loose change in my pockets."

Dr. Jensen smiled, and closed the file. "Well, it wasn't the best idea to wait until the next day, Christopher. We're going to have to do an MRI just to make sure you didn't receive any concussions, and perhaps maybe a few x-rays. I'm not sure." He stood up, and walked over to a cabinet. He retrieved a pair of blue medical gloves and slid them on.

He walked over to the exam table to look at Callahan. "May I?" he asked, and Callahan nodded. He started to tap at random places among his body, which caused a few hisses from the professor. The doctor smiled, and took off the gloves.

"You definitely do have some bruises," he stated, pointing to his face. "Not to mention that black eye you have. Did you really drive in this condition all the way to the hospital?"

"No, Jo did," Callahan laughed. Dr. Jensen nodded in acknowledgement. "I convinced her not to come in because she can be really worrisome sometimes. I didn't want her to fuss so much, after all. You know how loved ones can be," he added, nodding at the ring on the doctor's hand. Dr. Jensen smiled, and shook his head.

"Mostly it's me when it comes to worrying," Dr. Jensen laughed. "I'm a doctor; it comes with the profession."

"Really? I thought your husband would be the one to make a fuss, ah, _no offense,_ " Callahan replied. "You're so calm and collected about everything."

"That's because everything is a simple procedure in a hospital. Kids, they're crazy. You don't know how they'll react to anything." Callahan smiled, but remembered how he himself had no children. Jo had a child before she married him, but by the time they were together, her child was already starting college. He didn't have the time or the chance to be a father. And ever since then, they couldn't even have children- she had a hysterectomy after a bad car crash a few years before they met. It was bittersweet; having all the time in the world to himself, but not having a family to share it with.

(-)

Turns out, although he did receive a hearty beating last night, all he needed was some pain kills. Thankfully nothing was broke, but there would be substantial bruising on his ribs. He was glad he didn't have to walk around with a cast for his wife to fret about, but he'd still need to wear sunglasses to cover his eye.

She pulled up to the front of the hospital, and he opened the door, his right hand clutching a paper bag full of prescriptions. She sighed, and frowned at him.

As he climbed into the car, she carefully put her hand on his forearm.

"Baby-"

"No, love-" he held his hand up as he slid into the passenger's side. "you don't need to lecture me."

She huffed, and sighed. "What did the doctor say?"

"I just need some low painkillers, that's all. See, there was nothing to worry about-"

"But you still needed medicine from the hospital!" she argued back. He only groaned in response, a roll of his eyes following it. "You can't keep ignoring your health like this, okay? You're going to kill yourself one day, and I can't help you. You need to _do something-!_ "

" _Dammit, Jo,_ I've got it under control!" he shouted, and banged his hand against the dash forcefully. The molding inside shook, making Jo flinch out of instinct. He sighed, and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I get it- you don't need my help," she said bitterly. She shifted the gears back to drive, and started to drive out of the parking lot.

"I didn't mean it like that," he grunted, but there was a note of guiltiness in his voice. "I just don't need you watching over my back all the time."

"There's a reason why I'm watching over your back, Chris, and that's because you're getting _reckless._ Late nights, disappearing, not calling me back- what the hell is going on with you? Then you get mugged in the middle of the night and you don't even go to the hospital or call me or _something-_ "

Her voice started to fade and turn sour at the end of her sentence. "-and I don't want to find out that you've been lying in a ditch dead since I last saw you because _jesus christ you're so stubborn._ "

"I didn't call you because I left my stuff at the office, love." He huffed moodily, and looked at her. She looked like she was about to start bursting tears. "Let's go home, I'll take a day off of work for now _just for you_. I promise."

She sniffled and nodded silently as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand to remove any trace of her crying.

(-)

Jo didn't know what was going on with Callahan, but she knew that things were very off ever since he started staying late hours at the firm, then he came back home with bruises on his body, then the _third_ time he'd lost his temper this week. The trials were stressful, seeing as Callahan was one of the best lawyers in the state, but she didn't even realize how much he would have to chew until he yelled at her in the car.

When they arrived home, Callahan went straight to his office, which led from a hallway next to the stairs. Jo put her purse on the couch nearby, and went to sit down upon one of the dining room chairs, her eyes tired from staring at the road even for such a small amount of time. She leaned forward and anchored her elbows to the table, aggressively massaging her temples, her face contorting with pain and anger. She had married her high school sweetheart because she believed that they were soulmates, that Callahan would always be there to protect her and to be the one and only person she could never live without. That was in high school, however, and combined with her age _plus_ the experience of living in the big city, she realized that all those ideals could only ever hold up in that small town in Ohio that they came from. Both her parents and in-laws were around their golden years _and_ their golden anniversary, and when she was so little she believed that was how all marriages turned out. Happy and content.

Sometimes she regretted moving all the way to Massachusetts just for his career. She sacrificed all her time and energy for him, not even thinking for a moment about herself. She missed Ohio, and being able to drive out to her parents in fifteen minutes. She missed the small train station where young marines and soldiers were often being picked up from, since the army was such a big deal, patriotic flags hung around town and never taken off except for cleaning. She missed the park with the large tree that sagged sadly on its side, the one that she climbed all the way up to the top of when she was only six.

And she missed those distant relationship ideals she struggled to maintain after moving near Harvard Law. When she didn't think about nearby marriage counselors in the area. When she didn't wonder if those late nights working weren't being spent at his office, but rather at another woman's home.

"Jo?"

She looked up from the varnished surface of the table and reflexively put on a smile. "Yes?"

"Oh." He straightened out, and relaxed. "I thought you were… not feeling well. You're…"

"What? Oh, no no, just contemplating," she shook her head. She stood up, and pushed in her chair to walk towards him, her strides gracefully gentle with each step. She shifted her sweater over her chest and crossed her arms like she was cold.

Callahan grazed over her with his eyes, then nodded slowly. "You want me to turn up the heater?"

"Mhm."


End file.
